Third Time's The Charm
by Weedlewobble
Summary: A story about failure, persistence, and noodles.
1. Chapter 1

Scavengers- ...spend their time crawling around old ruins in hopes of finding some valuable trinket from before the war.

It's such a lonely and morbid sort of work, what kind of person would...

WASTELAND SURVIVAL GUIDE

* * *

"Hey!"

 _Wha..._

"Jessica!"

 _Who?_

"Wake up!"

Jessica was still half asleep. Lifting her head up she wiped a bit of drool off her face and glanced around.

Nobody. She saw nothing but the junk strewn around her apartment, she heard nothing but the faint scratching of a radroach somewhere in the walls, nobody was there.

 _Huh._

Lacking a better explanation she plopped back down on the pillow. She couldn't get back to sleep though, that radroach was really going at it this morning. Instead she rolled over in bed to a terminal precariously balanced on the nightstand. Booting up a game of Red Menace she spent a productive morning jumping over barrels and defeating communism. Eventually though a rumble in her stomach forced her out of bed and across the room to her kitchen. Grabbing a pot from the pile of dishes in her sink she gave it a quick scrubbing before filling it up and setting it on the stovetop to boil. When it was good and bubbly she dumped the noodles in, absentmindedly stirring every few minutes. When it looked ready she flicked the burner off and let it cool for a minute while she rummaged for a fork. Picking it off the stove she slurped up noodles as she walked over to grab a nuka-cola from the fridge. Halfway there though she slipped on a discarded bottle and tumbled back, noodles and all. She was lucky not have been scalded by the hot broth. That was not how Jessica took it.

 _You fucking idiot! You can't do the simplest task without screwing up. You..._

She goes on like that for awhile. After cleaning up the mess she simply tossed the pot back aside, in no mood to cook again. Instead she went to dig through a pile of clothes in the corner for something to wear. Pulling out a relatively clean outfit she got dressed, grabbed her pack, and left for work. The moment she opened the door though a slip of paper fell out. It was sternly worded letter from the landlord informing her the rent was due Friday and their would be no exceptions. Sighing she shoved it in her pocket and headed out into Diamond City.

'Out' was a relative term though. This part of Diamond City was so built up that she spent ten minutes weaving through dark cramped alleys before she made her way up a stairwell and got her first peak of sunlight. She was taking a favorite shortcut of hers by carefully stepping her way across unstable rooftops several stories in the air. She found this far less stressful than dealing with the crowds down below. When she did make her way back to ground level it was to head for the exit, but as she headed out the gate a guard waved at Jessica from his post and shouted some pleasantry to her. Struck dumb and uncertain how to respond she could only manage to mumble something in his general direction before hurrying off into the wasteland.

* * *

 _Noodles. Noooooodles. Noodleoodleoodles._

I think she's gone mad from hunger. Her mind could focus on little else as she switched off her hotplate and started slurping up lunch, spitting it back out when she burned her mouth. With the second mouthful she blew on it beforehand and washed it down with a swig of nuka-cola. Repeating that process she was able to devour the steaming hot meal without further injury. Finishing with a burp she shoved the cookware back in her pack and began her day's work. Wandering aimlessly through the streets she looked over every building she passed, applying a rigorous scientific analysis to determine the optimum target.

"Eeny, meeny, miny, moe, catch a raider by the toe..."

This method brought her to a midsized office with a large hole smashed through the top floor. It's only entrance had collapsed, but digging in her pack Jessica removed a small explosive charge and set it among the rubble. Retreating to a safe distance she ducked behind cover and set off the detonator. When the dust settled she returned to find an opening just large enough for her. Before going in she paused, listening carefully for any groan that might indicate an imminent collapse. These pre-war buildings were in rough shape and she'd seen them brought down by less than her firecracker, but after a few minutes of silence she was confident this one wouldn't fall. Pulling out a flashlight she squeezed through the gap and scanned around inside for any company. Feral ghouls and aggressive wildlife were another occupational hazard, but this place seemed clear. Relaxing her guard she began her usual search of the premises for any scrap or valuables left by the former occupants. The first floor was routine, the biggest highlight being a gun and some bullets from the small security station, but the second floor held a surprise. There a vertibird had crashed through the ceiling and lodged itself inside. With the crew dead on impact it sat untouched for over two centuries. Until now.

 _Jackpot!_

Indeed. The military grade parts alone could earn her a small fortune. Checking inside she found the pilots and a briefcase clutched by the lone passenger, some sort of officer judging from his tattered uniform. Showing little respect for the dead she ripped the briefcase from his skeletal hands and began fiddling with the lock. Like most scavengers Jessica was quite handy with a bobby pin and it didn't take long to get it open. Inside were some technical papers she found utterly indecipherable and a holotape labeled 'Project Agelasta'. Looked boring, but popping the tape in the cockpit's terminal showed it to be heavily encrypted. Figuring it might be worth something she tossed it in her bag and began the long task of striping the aircraft down for anything of value.

By the time she finished her pack was bulging at the seams, but the light outside had grown uncomfortably dim. She needed to get home before sunset. You didn't wanna be caught out here at night. Bad things happened at night. 'Bad' by the standards of a post-apocalyptic wasteland. That was just a nagging worry though, what sent a chill down her spine was the figure she saw watching her as she turned to leave. The room was dark and she only saw them for a second, but she swore...

 _No. It's just my imagination. Or maybe this place has a gas leak._

She told herself that, but she'd spend the whole walk back to Diamond City looking over her shoulder.

* * *

 _Look at all the caps! I'm rich! Filthy rich!_

Jessica probably could have gotten more if she had actually talked to the merchants instead of staring at her shoes and mumbling, but it was a big haul. It was such a lucky break that she had a smile on her face and a skip in her step as she made her way home. Made her way at night through Diamond City. To her home in the bad part of town.

You can probably guess where this is going. Jessica should have known where this was going. She was in a state of blissful ignorance though and took no notice of the street thug tailing her. Jessica naturally took the path most devoid of other people and was walking down an empty street when she heard the voice shouting in her ear.

"Behind you! Look out!"

She had no idea where the warning had come from, but it was too late anyway. She barely had time to process it before she was slammed against the wall. The next thing she knew a woman was holding a knife to her throat and rummaging through her pockets. A minute later all of her caps were gone along with the mugger.

Jessica wasn't sure what to do now. For a long time she just slumped there. When she did finally get back on her feet it was a slow trudge, beating herself up all the way.

 _A once in a lifetime opportunity and you blow it! You fucking..._

Even after getting home she continued, pacing back and forth across the room.

 _...this might be the worst thing you've ever done._

Eventually she came to a stop in the middle of her room and looked up at the apartment's only light. Reaching out she grasped the hot bulb, holding tight for as long as she could stand before pulling away. Staring down at her fresh injury she sighed, reached up with her other hand, and pulled the bulb's cord. Left in darkness she stumbled across the room and flopped down on her bed.

Jessica was already asleep when a figure appeared in the shadows, desperately waving and trying to get her attention.


	2. Chapter 2

Institute- ...jerks wouldn't let me into their stupid mad scientist club. Dr. Li pretended like she didn't even know me! I mean, how many of them could have even hotwired the bionetwork on a generation 3 synth like I did? Much less programmed it to sing "I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General" without missing a note? But noooooo, Moira's just some loony come in from the...

WASTELAND SURVIVAL GUIDE

* * *

The next morning began as a repeat of the first. Jessica struggling out of bed, making a bowl of noodles, and then dropping it on the floor. This time it wasn't due to her being clumsy though. This time she was surprised by the woman who suddenly appeared in front of her.

"What the fuck!"

That would be an understandable reaction to anyone teleporting into your home. All the more so when that person is an exact duplicate of you. Grabbing a knife from the drawer she held it up defensively in front of her.

"Are... Are you a synth? Did the institute send you to replace me?"

"I actually was sent by the Institute." Her copy reached out and passed her hand through the blade. "but I'm not a synth."

Dropping the knife she reached out herself and passed an arm through her duplicate. She was completely immaterial, like something out of an old ghost story. Jessica found it all rather confusing.

"Wha... How... Who... Who are you?"

The mirror image giggled a little at her babbling. "I dunno, who do I look like?"

She looked like Jessica. A little older and a lot more weary, but unmistakably her.

"You look like me." Her eyes saw that, but her brain refused to accept it. "You can't be me though! I'm me!"

More giggling. "You're right. You are you. You're you now, you were you yesterday, and you'll still be you tomorrow."

 _Tomorrow?_

Jessica was starting to grasp what Jessica was implying. "No. There's no way. That's impossible."

Jessica defended her existence. "How can you say it's impossible when I'm standing right here?"

"Because this time travel stuff is a bunch of dumb sci-fi nonsense!

That's what I said to the author, but did they listen? No.

Jessica wasn't having it either. "Well nonsense or not this is for real, and I can prove it."

Jessica's eyes narrowed. "How?"

"I'll tell you, but you should probably clean up those noodles first."

* * *

Much as I enjoy confusing you people I feel it's my duty as your narrator to straighten out the name situation. So from here on out one of these ladies will be Jessica, and the other will be Jessica*. Nothing confusing about that, right?

Right. Now on with the story.

"Are you sure you know where to find that mugger with my caps?" This was the fourth time Jessica had asked that question of what she was pretty sure was a hallucination.

Jessica* humored her with an answer though. "Yep! I saw the whole thing."

Jessica shuddered. She still had a little cut on her neck from the blade.

"So after warning me you what, followed her home?"

"Ya I was walking right beside her the whole way back." The transfer process had left her memory a bit hazy though. "It's, uh, this way!"

Jessica glared at her. "We already went down that way."

They'd gone down a lot of ways. They'd been tracing a convoluted path across the city for almost an hour.

Like I said, a bit hazy. "Um... Wait, there it is!"

She pointed at a seemingly random apartment block and dashed off, going clean through the door while Jessica pulled it open and followed her inside. Heading up some stairs they counted down the numbered units until Jessica* stopped in front of one.

"Your caps are in here, in a safe under the couch." She stuck her head through the door. "And I don't see anyone home."

Glancing back and forth to make sure they were clear Jessica crouched down infront of the lock and got to work with a bobby pin. A minute later the door opened to a little apartment not much different from her own. The big difference was that this one had a couch, and shoving it aside revealed a safe.

Jessica* was grinning ear to ear. "The combination is 04/12/22/63."

Her combination worked. Jessica found it impossible to believe, but sure enough the caps were inside.

Jessica* rubbed it in. "What did I tell ya? See? You can trust me."

She could be trusted. This was all for real. That's why Jessica was so worried.

"If you're telling the truth, if you're really from the future, than why? You didn't come here to pay my rent."

That was not a question Jessica* had been looking forward to. Wringing her hands she mumbled out an answer. Sort of.

"You wanna get some noodles?"

* * *

Power Noodles was the humming generator that kept Diamond City running. That isn't some artistic turn of phrase either. It's literally a reactor these idiots built a noodle stand into. They use the hot exhaust to do the cooking, gives everything a nice tangy flavor. This time of day the place was packed with every stool full and people lined up to place an order. Toward the back of that line was a scavenger girl who seemed to be talking to herself.

"Why are we here? I can make some noodles at home."

Jessica* was more enthusiastic. "Because I never got to try Power Noodles and I'm not letting you miss out."

Mildly radioactive noodles weren't the only new experience for Jessica. She never came to the market when it was packed like this, and for good reason. She was completely surrounded by people all talking and shouting until they merged together into a dull roar. She was glancing around looking for a break in the crowd when Jessica* snapped her back to focus.

"Hey the line is moving."

Jessica shuffled forward, but the line still seemed to stretch for miles.

"Seriously, it'd take me ten minutes to make some noodles at home."

Jessica* stood firm. "And it'll take five minutes to get some here. You can't spend your whole life locked up in that gross little apartment."

Jessica had managed it so far. Still she tried to tough it out, but it wasn't easy with the crowd squeezing in on her. And little kids occasionally running past her feet. And that woman over there looking at her for some reason. She really hated it when people looked at her. She dealt with it by pinching a bit of flesh on her arm between her thumb and index finger, then twisting it as hard as she could

Jessica* hissed at her. "Stop doing that! It doesn't help anything."

It might not be the most healthy coping mechanism, but it actually did help get Jessica's mind off the situation. Unfortunately even it wasn't enough to tune out the man who made his way past and jostled her to the side. That was when she hit her breaking point and fled out of the market so fast it took Jessica* a few minutes to catch up. She found herself sitting against the wall in an empty alley with her knees curled up to her chest.

Jessica looked up at her. "You're from my future. Do I ever stop being so, you know?"

Jessica* knew. "No, but you get better at dealing with it."

Taking a seat next to herself she finally got to the point. "So do you wanna know why I'm here."

Jessica sighed. "Sure, let's hear what I did."

That shouldn't be her first assumption, but in this case it was accurate.

"Do you remember that holotape you found yesterday? The one in the vertibird?"

Jessica did. "Project, what was it, Aggy Lisa?"

Close. "Project Agelasta. That holotape had the access codes for a pre-war research facility where they were developing a biological weapon."

Jessica had a vague idea of what that was. "Biological? Like a disease or something?"

Jessica* was more knowledgeable. "Sort of, but it targeted vegetation. Plants, trees, crops, that sort of thing. Down south around the old capital they had some get loose and it turned the place into a barren desert, but that was just a neutered test version. The stuff in this facility is pure strain and if it gets out it'll spread until the whole planet is a lifeless rock."

That was a lot for Jessica to take in. "How does it get released though? All I did was peddle that holotape off to some junk dealer."

Jessica* gave her the rest of the story. "There's an Institute scientist looking for it, a guy so twisted they actually kicked him out of that place. He has synth agents who keep tabs on every junk merchant in the Commonwealth and when you sold the holotape he'd been looking for they swooped in to get it. Tonight he's gonna meet up with them and go unlock the facility."

Jessica was rather annoyed at a certain junk trader who claimed to be an expert at spotting synths, but she tried to focus on what's important.

"So you know when he's gonna be there? We still have time to fix this?"

Jessica* smiled. "Uh huh. I was part of an expedition to the facility and checked the entry logs myself. I know where he'll be, when he'll be there, and how we can stop him."


	3. Chapter 3

Time Travel- ...can be both fun and profitable, but don't think too hard about how it works or your brain will melt!

WASTELAND SURVIVAL GUIDE

* * *

That night the Jessicas made camp in an old hotel room. One of them was stuffing her face with noodles while the other drooled over the steaming pot.

"They look sooo good and I haven't gotten to eat any in sooo long."

"Dom ey ave nooles a eh insisu?" Damnit Jessica. Don't talk with your mouth full.

Jessica* still got what she was saying. "No they eat these bland little food packets. They're awful. Even with hot sauce."

"isustin!" Chew and swallow woman! Chew and swallow!

Jessica* didn't seem bothered by it. "I know right? All that technology and they can't cook a decent meal."

"On ey o ey issin ou?"

Even Jessica* was lost by that one. "What?"

Jessica finally slurped down the noodles. "I said, don't they know they're missing out?"

"Can't miss something you never had I guess." Jessica* saw an opening and took it. "I probably didn't miss anything either. I heard Power Noodles were overrated anyway."

Jessica paused the forkful of noodles she was about to shove in her mouth. "Uh, ya. Overpriced to."

Jessica* pressed on. "Still, maybe you could try going when it's less busy? It's worth a shot."

Jessica had suddenly lost her appetite. "They wouldn't want me there. I'd just ruin everyone's meal."

Jessica* rolled her eyes. "No you wouldn't. Why do you think that they wouldn't like you?"

Jessica gave an answer that sounded perfectly rational to her. "Because I'm a fucking loser and they all know it. Nobody wants anything to do with that creepy scavenger girl."

Jessica* didn't see it that way though. "Nobody thinks that but you. You keep telling yourself that sorta stuff over and over until you believe it, but it's not true."

On some level Jessica knew that. She refused to acknowledge it though.

"Don't... Don't we have to stop that mad scientist of yours? Isn't that what's important?"

Jessica* sighed. "We still have hours before he arrives. Sit back down."

Jessica had gotten to her feet and made her way across the room to a table covered in explosive charges. She'd bought as many as she could afford and it'd taken a good hour to wire them all up. Off to the side was the detonator, a much bulkier device than the one she usually carried with her.

"We better go ahead and set these now, just to be safe."

Jessica* couldn't really argue with that. "Alright, and then we come back here to keep watch for him."

Jessica couldn't really argue with that. That was why they'd chosen this room after all, it was just down the street from the research facility with a nice view. Once the charges were planted all they'd have to do is wait here for their mad scientist and press a button when he went in.

"Uh, ya. Sure."

Glad to have at least temporarily avoided an awkward conversation Jessica did one last check on the wiring before sweeping the charges into her pack. Leaving the detonator here she headed downstairs, going slowly and carefully to keep the old steps from creaking. She was right to be cautious. Every sort of nasty creature skulked about the Boston ruins at night and you did not want to attract their attention. The area seemed to be clear though as she crept down the sidewalk, keeping to the shadows as best she could.

Being unseen and unheard Jessica* could just stand right in the open and point out the building they were looking for. "There's the place!"

Heading inside she found little on the ground floor other than the reception desk and a security checkpoint. Past it and down a stairwell were sprawling sublevels of R&D facilities which must have been quite impressive before the war, but nowadays existed in various stages of deterioration and collapse. It was slow and careful going as Jessica made her way down, taking regular detours to stick charges on every support column she could. Eventually though she came to the very bottom where a set of blast doors blocked her way.

"This is it? It's behind there?"

Jessica nodded. "Yep. There's an elevator that goes down to cold storage. That's where they keep all the samples."

"Huh, so what if I just did this?" Grabbing a broken chunk of concrete off the ground Jessica used it to wail on the door's terminal until it was a sparking mess of circuitry.

Jessica* knew that wouldn't do it, but it was fun to watch. "Nah. He can rig up his own. Not even demolishing the building would do it, he'd just get his synths to dig it out."

That was why they intended to bring it down on his head. Just to be sure of that Jessica made one last inspection of the lowest levels, placing her remaining charges on anything of structural importance.

Jessica* could hardly believe it when they finished. "We... We did it. It's been so long, but we might actually fix things."

Even Jessica shared her pride. "Ya, I think we might really pull this off."

The trip back to the surface was much quicker and more direct. Jessica couldn't help feeling optimistic as she bounded up the last flight of stairs, so it shouldn't have come as a surprise when she rounded a corner and suddenly felt the barrel of an Institute pistol against her head.

* * *

So that was how Jessica wound up with her hands bound and a synth holding her at gunpoint. The machine's master did eventually arrive and would have had her executed, but she saved herself by blurting out some old Institute gossip a wastelander like her should never have known. Still she was only a curiosity and had been left on the surface while he headed down to open the cold storage. Or as Jessica would put it...

"We. Fucked. Up." Jessica punctuated every word by slamming her head into the old car she was sitting back against.

Jessica* felt pretty guilty as well. "It's my fault. I should have been on the lookout for that synth. I should have realized the bastard would send scouts ahead of him."

"We. Fucked. Up." Three more slams.

"We still have time okay? We can still fix this. Somehow." Jessica* said that, but she was out of ideas.

Jessica finally stopped beating herself up and really talked. "We can't okay. We failed. He's been down there awhile now. He's probably already in and there's nothing we can do about it."

Jessica* cringed as her counterpart slam her head again.

"You can't just give up. We gotta at least try. Maybe if you rush the synth..."

"He'll shoot me dead the moment I move! It. Won't. Work."

Three more.

"It's all gonna happen again, and it's our fault." Another.

Jessica* screamed at her. "Fine! We failed okay! You are gonna go through all this again! The famine, the riots, the bloodshed, just like I did. You're gonna spend sleepless nights down in the Institute staring at a gun and weighing your options, just like I did. And then you're gonna come back here and try to fix this shit, just like fucking did!"

The words had barely left her mouth when there was a flash of light and Jessica appeared in front of them holding a plasma rifle. Opening fire on their captor she melted several chunks out of it before swiveling toward the door where another synth had emerged. When it was goo she dropped the gun, pulled out a knife, and started frantically sawing on the ropes holding Jessica.

"That one was coming to get a replacement terminal. You should..."

Another flash of light and all that remained of her was a pile of ashes. For a moment the Jessicas just stared at each other in shock before remembering the gravity of the situation. Tearing herself free Jessica sprinted for the hotel, up the stairs, and grabbed the detonator. Then she hesitated. Jessica* had caught up with her and thrown her arms around her, the hug clipping through her slightly. She was sobbing as she spoke.

"I told you we could do it."

Jessica pressed the detonator. A tremor went through the whole structure, the window was blown open by a cloud of debris, and when the dust cleared she was left standing alone in an empty hotel room.

* * *

Jessica had grabbed the energy weapons and a few parts off those synths before leaving. They'd fetch her enough to pay the rent. Returning to her apartment she closed the door behind her and set her loot aside. Plopping down on her bed she sat there a while, thinking. Eventually though she shook her head, stood, up, and started cleaning her apartment. It would be a solid hour of work after an already exhausting night, and when it was over the place was still pretty far from pristine, but she collapsed back onto the bed proud of her accomplishment.

When she woke up the next afternoon her stomach was rumbling. She knew where she was going, to wash off all the dust and synth guts she'd gotten on her during this little adventure. After that though, Power Noodles.


End file.
